Chapter 400: Following the Wind

Hua Zhi couldn’t shake the feeling that the emperor kept Shao Yao close not simply because she was a physician. There was something about her—a warm, sunlit energy that radiated trust and sincerity. She had a way of making people feel at ease, and Hua Zhi couldn’t blame anyone for wanting someone like that around. Honestly, if she were in the emperor's shoes, she'd want someone like Shao Yao nearby too. Just the sight of her could lift a heavy mood.

She had half a mind to ask about the emperor’s health but quickly thought better of it. No, she couldn’t let her personal concerns be addressed through Shao Yao—it wasn’t fair.

Before she could dwell on it further, Shao Yao broke the silence, her words unexpectedly candid. “He’s like a porcelain doll now,” she said with a sigh. “One wrong touch, and he might shatter. The attendants have to be ridiculously careful—he can’t so much as sneeze without it turning into a crisis. And heaven forbid he sneezes on his own! Then I’ll have to drag the imperial physicians over to examine him. Honestly, it’s exhausting—he’s constantly on the edge, and so am I.”

“Careful, Shao Yao,” Hua Zhi warned with a soft chuckle. “You shouldn’t say things like that to just anyone—it could land you in trouble.”

Shao Yao grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I know that! But you’re not ‘just anyone,’ are you?” She tilted her head playfully. “I wouldn’t say this to anyone else—I’m not that reckless.”

Hua Zhi couldn’t help but smile at her earnestness. She reached out and patted Shao Yao’s head, her hand met with a gentle nuzzle that made her heart swell. For a moment, the weight of the world felt a little lighter. Yes, Shao Yao was right—she wasn’t just anyone. Hua Zhi would never do anything to bring trouble to her.

"If one day he... would he blame you?"

"He won't, but others might. It depends on who is in that position and what kind of relationship they have with Yan-ge. Don't worry, Hua Hua, the emperor who is only recently in power and heavily relies on Yan-ge, will only flatter him, not risk offending him."

Hua Zhi sighed softly, "Ever since I found out about the Seven Stars Bureau, I have always felt that their situation is very dangerous. Their power is too great and their influence is too strong. If someone deliberately stirs things up and the emperor wavers, all the special things about the Seven Stars Bureau will become accusations."

"Yan-ge has said the same thing."

Hua Zhi's eyes lit up, "What does he plan to do?"

"Yan-ge said the previous leader, even the leader before that, have said the same things."

"... You will starved to death!"

Shao Yao laughed heartily, rubbed against Hua Hua, "That's what Yan-ge said, they all know that the sword is hanging over the head of the Seven Stars Bureau, once it falls, it cannot be filled with anything except human life. But the emperor's reliance on the Seven Stars Bureau has become a habit. Even if some methods were considered in the past, they either failed before they began or were forgotten in the end. Hua Hua, help Yan-ge think of a solution, I don't want him to risk his life for Daqing and still be feared and guarded against by others all the time, it's not a happy way to live."

"The issues that generations before them haven't been able to solve, how can I solve them?" Hua Zhi laughed, unless the person sitting on the throne is exceptionally capable and does not need to rely on the Seven Stars Bureau for everything, and strategically establishes a few government offices to divide the power of the Seven Stars Bureau, allowing the Seven Stars Bureau to break free and return to its original state, the chances of such an exceptionally capable person existing within the royal family are low.

Xiao Liu is smart enough, but for now, he is not exceptional yet.

"Alright, we don't need to bother about this. By the way, the first shipment of seafood has arrived, it came yesterday."

Shao Yao immediately reminisced about the delicious seafood she had in Zhengyang, drooling and eager to eat it. However, she heard Hua Hua say, "We are still in mourning at home, we cannot have seafood. I have sent some to prepare vegetarian meals for Fu Dong to practice with. Starting tomorrow, I will have to go to the seafood restaurant for a few days, although the cooking is simple, making it delicious is not easy. I need to be there to guide for a few days."

"Tell me about it but don't give me anything to eat, Huahua, that's not fair!" Shao Yao pouted, she didn't want to return to the palace, only staying with Huahua gave her good things to eat!

"I remember that I sent food every day."

"But I can't eat seafood... you sent some for me?" Shao Yao suddenly understood, her pout turned into a smile, "I want lots of it!"

Hua Zhi poked the resilient head of this spinning top, "When have I ever let you go hungry, you'll have your fill in the future."

"Not getting tired of it, there are so many varieties!" Fried golden crispy small yellow croakers, large-clawed crabs, boneless fish, huge shrimp... Shao Yao's mouth watered, she wished she could stay and never leave.

Liu Xiang came to report, "Miss, Miss Shao Yao, a few dishes have already been prepared, you can start eating slowly."

Without needing further prompting, Shao Yao cheered and ran off, the maids covering their mouths and laughing, knowing that the household would be particularly lively with Shao Yao around.

Hua Zhi also realized that, compared to missing her, Caocao clearly missed the food from her home.

"Pack some jerky for her to take with her."

"Yes."

Listening to the sound of 'Hua Hua hurry up' coming from outside, Hua Zhi slowly left the room. Suddenly she realized that there was only jerky left as a snack at home. In the past, she never lacked food in her courtyard. Whatever she wanted to eat, as long as she mentioned it, a few capable maids would prepare and bring it to her. But now she was busy, the maids were busy, and there was no hint of the leisurely and carefree days of the past.

Those days when she didn't have to worry about anything, she truly missed.

Shao Yao reluctantly carried a large package, back to the palace against her will, while Hua Zhi continued to plan recipes in her study. She was not planning to make any complex dishes with seafood, the essence of seafood is freshness, as long as she captured that, it would be enough. The real challenge would be making the fish soup, which required Fu Dong's expertise.

“Miss.” Bao Xia rushed in, her expression a mix of urgency and frustration. “Another snack shop has opened in the capital today.”

Hua Zhi glanced up briefly, her tone calm and unaffected. “Haven’t you grown used to this by now?”

“But this is already the sixth one...”

“And there’ll be a seventh, an eighth, and eventually too many to count. So what?” Hua Zhi set down her brush, flexing her sore right wrist.

Liu Xiang appeared quietly by her side, holding a hot towel. As Hua Zhi took it to massage her wrist, Liu Xiang carefully worked on her stiff fingers, easing each one with practiced precision.

Bao Xia’s fervor dimmed slightly, but indignation still colored her voice. “This time it’s different. Five shops opened all at once, each offering two snacks—our snacks—and they’re selling them for less than the ones in Green Moss Lane! If this keeps up, there’ll be no end to copycats flooding the market.”

“It’s inevitable,” Hua Zhi said, her voice carrying a trace of indifference. “If we’re enjoying the meat, we have to let others drink the soup. Five shops opening in unison? There’s no way ordinary folks are behind that. Someone with ambition has noticed the profits and decided to jump in. They can’t interfere with us directly, so they’ve chosen to compete. Let them. This is just the cost of doing business. It’s not worth losing sleep over.”

Her gaze shifted briefly to the account book from last month. A minor dip in sales—hardly anything alarming. “A monopoly isn’t sustainable anywhere. I knew the moment the first imitation shop popped up that more would follow. But their existence hasn’t hurt us nearly as much as you think.”

Bao Xia hesitated, unsure whether to interrupt, but Hua Zhi continued, her tone sharp yet composed. “It’s not just snacks, either. The canned food business will likely face competition soon. Xu Jie already ran into people collecting meat peaches. But imitating the taste of my recipes? That’s no easy feat. For now, the canned food market is still ours, and by the time they catch up, Uncle Bai will have locked down most of the supply chain. So there’s no need to get worked up about it—it’s just business.”

Realizing her overreaction, Bao Xia bowed her head in apology. “Forgive me, Miss. I was too hasty.”

Hua Zhi’s lips curled into a small smile, her irritation never having surfaced. She knew Bao Xia’s concern came from loyalty, but when it came to business, Hua Zhi was anything but afraid.

———TN: Woohoo! 400 chapters, that's amazing!

Big congratulations to everyone who's made it this far! A huge thank you for sticking with Hua Zhi and Gu Yanxi through all the twists and turns up to this point. But don't get too comfy just yet — we've got an even exciting ride ahead in Volume 3. This is where everything we've built up in the first two volumes really starts to unravel and come together.

So stay tuned, the best is yet to come!

Link to Vol.3 https://www.wattpad.com/story/388460129?utm_source=android&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_writing&wp_page=create&wp_uname=CeritanyaNyai